The present invention relates to the field of communications in general and more particularly to antennas.
A wireless communication device, such as a cellular radiotelephone, may include an antenna to enable the wireless communication device to receive and/or transmit signals associated with a wireless service. For example, a GSM type cellular radiotelephone may include an antenna which allows the cellular radiotelephone to function in a GSM system. Such antennas may be adapted for connection to the enclosure of the wireless communications device. However, the physical characteristics of the antenna (such as size) may affect the cost of the wireless communications device.
As wireless services become more popular, there may be a desire to support multiple wireless services using one wireless communications device. For example, it is known to provide Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality along with the radiotelephone functionality described above in a single wireless communication device. Such wireless communications devices are described, for example, in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/193,587 to Camp, Jr. entitled xe2x80x9cPortable Radio Telephones Including Patch Antennas xe2x80x9d and assigned to the assignee of the present application which is incorporated herein by reference. Unfortunately, supporting both GPS and radiotelephone functionalities may further increase the cost of the wireless communications device. Consequently, there is a need to provide wireless communications devices that support both GPS and radiotelephone functionalities while reducing the cost associated with supporting the additional wireless services in the wireless communications device.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide improved wireless communications devices.
It is another object of the present invention to further reduce the cost of supporting both GPS and communications functionalities in a wireless communications device.
These and other objects of the present invention are provided by a wireless communications device having an integrated antenna housing that includes a GPS antenna and a first antenna. The GPS antenna provides reception of GPS signals at the wireless communications device which are used to determine a location of the wireless communications device. The first antenna provides reception and transmission of communications signals, such as those used in a PCS or DCS cellular radiotelephone system. Integrating the GPS antenna and the first antenna into the same antenna housing can reduce the cost of manufacturing a wireless communications device that supports multiple functionalities. In addition, as the sizes of wireless communications devices are reduced it may be increasingly difficult to couple multiple antenna housings to a wireless communications device without affecting the functionality and/or aesthetics of the wireless communications device.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the antennas in the integrated antenna assembly are mounted on a common antenna backing in the integrated antenna housing. The antenna backing can include first and second faces, and the GPS antenna and the first antenna can be mounted on a common face of the antenna backing or on opposite faces. The antenna backing may comprise a dielectric material.
In another aspect of the present invention, a second antenna is included in the integrated antenna assembly. Accordingly, the user may operate the wireless communications device in one of multiple communications systems. The second antenna can be mounted between the GPS and first antenna. The first, second, and GPS antennas can each be mounted on any face of the antenna backing.
In an unexpected aspect of the invention, the integrated antenna housing can include a first high-band antenna, a second high-band antenna, and a low-band antenna located therebetween. Locating the low-band antenna between the first high-band antenna and the second high-band antenna may reduce electromagnetic coupling between the first and second high-band antennas in the integrated antenna assembly. For example, if a GPS antenna operates in a frequency range between about 1574 to 1576 MHz and the first antenna operates in a frequency range between about 1710 to 1880 MHz and the second antenna operates in a range between about 880 to 960 MHz, locating the second antenna between the first antenna and the GPS antenna may reduce the electromagnetic coupling between the first antenna and the GPS antenna.
The integrated antenna housing of the present invention can thus reduce the cost of a radiotelephone that provides multiple functions such as cellular communications and GPS functionality. The integrated antenna housing can also reduce the size of a radiotelephone and increase the aesthetic appeal.